Pickerill Creative: Jeremy Graham Blues

So I got a call on Sunday at 1:00pm from a friend Jeremy, Jeremy Graham Blues (a blues band) asking me if I was available to cover a show that night. I was in the middle of a gigantic filing project in my office, putting away my 2009 files and updating them for 2010. Hmmmm, continue with the filing project or make some coin at a blues show...?

I got to the show about an hour early, I wanted to see what the lighting was going to be on the stage and I also thought we might grab a quick portrait. I had been to the Venue before, a local Cafe and I knew they had a cool back room with a pool table and some funky dingy walls. The perfect place for a blues portrait.

When I got to the venue, because of the rain that dingy, awesome room where we were going to do our portrait was full of equipment. The Cafe had used that room to stack all of their equipment that would normally be outside. As per usual on location, we were going to have to adapt and we didn't have much time. With the client looking at me like "well where do you want me" my inner self is panicking "I have no idea" but we can't show that in front of the client, "Go grab a drink, we're going to get set up here, I'll come and grab you in a few minutes." Now to figure out what we are going to do.

I saw a piece of chain link fence just to the side of the stage and threw that up as a quickie backdrop. I set up a 580ex II off camera left on a umbrella set to slave, and triggered that with a 580ex on my camera that also doubles as a fill. Then I had my wife hold another 580 gridded just behind Jeremy for a rim light. I would have liked to throw a little more light on the fence but I only brought 3 speedlights. You can still pick up a little of the texture.

f/2.8 - 1/30 - ISO800

Then, I decided to use the available lighting on the stage to create a cool contrasty portrait of Jeremy on Stage. I knew once the room filled up I wouldn't be able to get into that same position so it seemed like a good choice. Also, I know Jeremy likes things to be a little more creative...